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THE 

REASON FOR 
WAR 



By 
JAMES W. JOHNSON 






If it is true, believe it ; 
If you believe it, teach it ; 
If you teach it, the truth 
will prevail. 



•»•"* 



The Reason 
for War 



BY 
JAMES W. JOHNSON 



Come now let us reason together 
saith the Lord. " 



1915: 

THE LUMITONE COMPANY 

1 Riverdale Avenue, New York 



/*' 



- " her 
WAR 6 /g /6 



The Reason For War. 

IS this to be the last War? The ques- 
tion is often asked and it receives 
many answers. Our peace-loving friends 
would have us believe that if we would 
lay aside our army and navy the other 
nations, admiring our fine example of 
reliance on the principles of righteous- 
ness, would do likewise and so there 
could be no future war because there 
would be nothing to fight with. Fur- 
thermore, the doing away with the im- 
plements of war would show such a 
splendid trust in the amity and good will 
of other nations that a like feeling of 
peace and good will to all mankind would 
be aroused in them and therefore they 
would, in consequence, be ashamed of 
their former warlike propensities and 
would, with glad hearts and loud ac- 
claim, herald the dawn of international 
good will, the long-looked- for and earn- 
estly prayed-for realization of the dream 
3 



of all sincere admirers of the Prince ot 
Peace. What a beautiful faith in the 
inherent nobility of mankind shines forth 
in the belief of our pacifist friends! 

Then, again, the men of war — the men 
of Belial, they might be termed by the 
pacifists — hold just the opposite view and 
for just the opposite reason. They say 
that since war has always existed in the 
world, due to the quite reasonable am- 
bition to make one's own national ideals 
paramount, or because of mankind's 
natural greed and the baser motives com- 
mon to all, that therefore war will al- 
ways continue, at least for many genera- 
tions to come, until the ideals of the 
world have been elevated far above the 
present standard. 

Still others see in war splendid results. 
They hold that it stimulates, purifies and 
ennobles by reason of its terrible suffer- 
ings, sacrifices and the giving up of all 
for worthy aims. They would recall the 
splendid results of our war for inde- 
pendence and our more terrible war for 
the preservation of the integrity of our, 
4 



nation when the blue and gray forgot 
their brotherhood in their loyalty to 
their idealism. 

Many other answers can be found to 
speak the uncertainty of the world as to 
whether or no this most terrible of all 
wars our world has seen is to be the last 
great conflict of the nations. 

Perhaps if we should consider some 
of the reasons given for the present war 
we might be better able to give a satis- 
factory answer. 

Among the reasons presented are : 

1. German imperialism and German 
ambition, Germany's will to win her place 
in the sun and Germany's ruthlessness in 
so doing, as witnessed by the ruin of 
Belgium. It is said that if Germany 
should achieve her aims and win the 
place in the sun she so ardently desires, 
other nations would soon find themselves 
eclipsed and more than that, finally sub- 
ject to the wonderful energy and tre- 
mendous force of the Teuton giant. So 
that the safety of the world demands an 
impediment placed in the way of such a 
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contingency. This opinion of the nations 
seems justified by the facts ~of the war 
thus far made evident. And yet I feel 
sure we have not stated the ultimate 
reason for the war. 

2. Again, many find in England's jeal- 
ousy and alarm at Germany's marvellous 
commercial expansion the real reason for 
the war. For many years now England 
has been mistress of the sea. Her proud 
title is justified by the fact that the sun 
never sets on her wide empire ; that the 
numerous colonies need the protection of 
the mighty fleet, and more than all that, 
where English policy is dominant there 
the races of mankind are benefited by 
those ideals of justice and thrift which 
have been approved as sound by the 
greatest Teacher the world has ever seen, 
the Galilean. 

It is claimed that Germany's ideals are 
in direct conflict with those of England 
and that the world approves our Eng- 
lish cousins in taking up the gage thrown 
down by Germany when she trampled 
into dust and blood her Belgian neigh- 
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bors, thereby clearly outraging that sense 
of justice and mercy common to man- 
kind. So that here, indeed, is found a 
reason adequate for the war. However 
this may be, I will beg to differ from this 
most reasonable conclusion and state most 
emphatically that we have not yet found 
the reason for the war. 

3. Another theory is the deep-seated 
revenge of France. About forty years 
ago the heart of France was sorely 
wounded by the loss of her two beautiful 
daughters, Alsace and Lorraine. Ger- 
many was the brutal ravisher. Like a 
tiger stung to madness by the cruel loss, 
France has waited for the opportunity 
to spring at the throat of her neighbor ; 
and now at last the time has come and all 
her children are heart and soul fired with 
a spirit of revenge that will be satisfied 
by nothing less than German life and 
blood and the recovery of beautiful Al- 
sace and Lorraine. Single-handed, 
France could never have succeeded, but 
now that her powerful friends, England 
and Russia, are found willing to join 

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hands with her in curbing once and for 
all the dangerous tendencies of German 
ruthlessness, she believes her hope may 
be attained. Once again it may be frankly 
replied we have not vet found the reason 
for the war. 

4. It is a long way from the sunny 
fields of France to the cold and frozen 
heart of Russia. But the stream of mad- 
ness flows very swiftly in these days of 
war, and the torpid, sluggish, frozen 
Russian has become aroused at last, the 
summons to war has met a quick and 
ready response, the growl of the bear is 
heard, his claws and cruel mouth are 
stained with the blood of his Western 
neighbors and his dull heart is fired with 
what lie thinks a noble ambition, to sweep 
away at last the barriers which for so 
many centuries have, like a wall of ada- 
mant, withstood his progress to the sea. 
At last an open port is in sight, and that 
port Constantinople. A door of wider 
opportunity is opening and soon Russia 
hopes that her immense grain fields will 
prove a veritable stream of gold in pro- 

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viding food for many millions beyond 
her borders. Surely none can find fault 
with so noble an enterprise, none can 
question the right of Russia to improve 
and develop her people and incidentally 
to increase her wealth. Is she not justi- 
fied in entering the tremendous conflict 
and making the most of that opportunity 
now presented by joining the allies and 
winning her way not to the sun but to 
the sea? Single-handed, she, too, could 
not hope to achieve her aim for many 
years to come, because time, much time, 
is needed yet to develop her resources 
and teach her millions those lessons of 
obedience, sacrifice and manhood abso- 
lutely essential in contending successfully 
with such an antagonist as Germany. 

Have we not at last the answer, or rather 
is not the answer to be found by the 
combining of all the facts stated regard- 
ing Germany, England, France and Rus- 
sie? Is not the war due to the jealousies, 
fears and false ambitions of all these na- 
tions of Europe? Once again we must 
say no ; but we will admit that all of 
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these are secondary or contributory 
causes. 

Let us try once again. Italy, the land 
of poetry and song, the land of art and 
sculpture, the home of the beautiful, the 
aesthetic, the delicate ; Italy, whose won- 
derful climate and more wonderful peo- 
ple draw to themselves all the admirers 
of the elevated, the pure, the charming; 
Italy, even Italy has at last drawn the 
sword and become partner in this feast 
of rage, passion, blood and devilishness. 
Moreover, her enemies say that Italy is 
a traitor, a turncoat, a coward, waiting 
until her allies, Germany and Austria, 
are surrounded by the foe and weakened 
by many a hard-fought battle, then leav- 
ing them in the lurch and joining hands 
with the Allies because she believes the 
Allies will win and that she will be a 
sharer in the spoils of war. My opinion 
is that such statements are unjust to 
Italy. Rather do I believe that Italy, 
finding herself allied with nations who 
believe that scraps of paper may be de- 
stroyed at will, that solemn treaties may 
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be abrogated if national ambitions run 
counter to them, has decided to leave 
such partners, finding their methods in- 
compatible with her sense of reason and 
right, and has chosen wisely the best time 
for doing so. What folly for her in the 
beginning of the war to have taken such 
a step as she now has taken ! All the 
world was amazed, stunned, at such ac- 
tion on the part of Germany. The con- 
fusion of ideas arising from such a piece 
of folly, the uncertainty as to her best 
future policy quite natural under the con- 
ditions, and the unquestioned ruin she 
would bring upon herself if in revenge at 
her disloyalty the armies of Austria 
"came down like a wolf on the fold, their 
cohorts all gleaming i n purple and gold" : 
all these seem to me good and sufficient 
reasons for Italy doing as she has done. 
If I find that my partners are rascals, 
shall I forfeit my self-respect by contin- 
uing my partnership with them ? 

Have we not at last found the reason, 
the true reason for the war in Italy's de- 
cision ; a decision in harmony with the 
sentiments of the world condemning the 
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ruthlessness and barbarity of Germany 
and Austria? And once more shall we 
say, most emphatically, no ! 

Let us not puzzle ourselves any fur- 
ther, but say that the true reason for this 
war and all the wars the world has ever 
seen is found in the eating of an apple. 
Ages and ages ago, when the soul of man 
was born, there began a conflict in that 
soul entailing all the sorrow, all the tears, 
all the bloodshed and all the sin of man. 
It will be recalled that the scene was a 
beautiful garden filled with luscious fruits 
and fragrant flowers. The Owner of the 
garden, a man, a woman, and a serpent 
were the actors in a tragedy. The ser- 
pent beguiled the woman and tempted 
her to eat an apple ; she induced her hus- 
band to partake. The Owner of the 
garden was angry at the man and the 
woman because He had told them not to 
eat the fruit of that particular tree. In 
His anger He drove them out of the gar- 
den because of their disobedience. The 
descendants of the man and woman in- 
herited their tendency to disobey, and so 
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sin came into the world. All will admit 
that if there was no sin in the world there 
would be no sorrow, no tears, no crime, 
no war, for all would live at peace and 
every one would think as carefully of 
his neighbor's rights and happiness as of 
his own. Xow, war is like an epileptic 
lit. When the fit comes on the patient 
falls to the ground, wallowing and foam- 
ing; he is bereft of reason and is alto- 
gether a most disgusting and fearful ob- 
ject. The fit passes, reason returns and 
the patient becomes quite normal again. 
But the disease is still there and only 
time is needed for the recurrence of the 
terrible symptoms, declaring most posi- 
tively there is no hope of release for the 
tortured sufferer until the cause of the 
disease is removed. All the wars of the 
world are but the recurring fits of mad- 
ness and insanity which will surely con- 
tinue to afflict mankind until the disease 
of sin is removed. Is there no hope? 
There still stands, glorious and beautiful, 
that tree whose leaves are for the heal- 
ing of the nations. The leaves are a ? ure 
panacea, a never-failing cure for the ter- 
13 



rible curse. All the world knows of the 
cure, ten thousand times ten thousand 
souls will swear to its wondrous power 
in their own lives and the glorious peace 
and calm content that follows like a bene- 
diction falling on the troubled hearts of 
those who take the Master at His word, 
who heed His call: "Come unto me and 
rest, take my yoke upon you and learn 
of me, for my yoke is easy and my bur- 
den is light." 



i & j 



Again, war is the rod in the hand of 
Almighty God, laid on the backs of dis- 
obedient children who continually flout 
Him, break His laws and follow their 
own wills. Some day the world will 
wake up to the fact that it is folly to 
arouse His anger and to invite the light- 
ning of His wrath by such asininity, 
when it is very much more comfortable 
and pleasant to live in harmony with 
Him and to enjoy the favor of His ap- 
proval. He showers His richest blessings 
on those who seek Him and who try to 
order their lives in accordance with His 
commands. 

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It needs but brief consideration to 
show clearly the relationship between sin 
and war. It was admitted that the am- 
bitions of Germany, the greed, the jeal- 
ousy and fears of England, the revenge 
of France and the aims of Russia have 
had much to do with the war ; undoubt- 
edly they are secondary and contributory 
causes. It only remains to show how 
these secondary causes are due to sin. 
Are not these secondary causes plainly 
the result of forgetting or of breaking 
the law of God where He says: "Thou 
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 

How is love for one's neighbor to be 
reconciled with an ambition so cruel and 
ruthless that the ruin of a nation of seven 
millions is but an incident ? How is love 
for one's neighbor to be reconciled with 
the ideals of an empire willing to reduce 
a nation of over three hundred millions 
to the depths of vice and crime by forc- 
ing upon them use of opium, with all its 
horrors for the love of money? How is 
love for one's neighbor to be reconciled 
with the fierce and fearful spirit of re- 
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venge that for forty years has been one 
of the guiding- impulses of a mighty na- 
tion? "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," 
saith the Lord, has been entirely over- 
looked, forgotten or disregarded. How 
is love for one's neighbor to be recon- 
ciled with that absolute disregard of 
one's own people, that terrible, cold, cal- 
culating, indomitable grinding down and 
blotting out of all the hopes, longings 
and aims inherent in the human soul, 
seen in the cruelty of Russia? 

Is any further evidence needed to 
show the intimate relationship between 
sin and these secondary or contributory 
causes of the war? If breaking the law 
of God is sin, surely the nations of the 
world have sinned most grievously. And 
yet this is only a part of the black record. 
What shall we say of drunkenness, vice, 
murder, indifference to the suffering of 
toiling, dying men and women around 
us? What shall we say of that lack of 
appreciation of the mercy and love of an 
infinite God so clearly proven by the 
worldly, selfish, pleasure-loving multi- 

16 



tudes, both in arid out of the church, 
which merits the comment, "Without 
God and without hope in the world"? 
Surely the lightnings of His fury and the 
thunderbolts of His wrath are more than 
justified. And should our fair land, too, 
be wrapped in the consuming flame of 
His punishments, would we not bow our 
heads most humbly and say, with con- 
trite heart: In all Thy dealings with 
Thy children Thou art just? 

James W. Johnson. 

Xew York, June, 1915. 



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